Betrayal Of Trust
by Big Dog on Jun 19, 2013 at 11:22 Commentary, Military
There is a lot of uproar right now about sexual assaults in the military. This has gotten the attention of members of Congress and the top brass of the military. Unfortunately, the response is the same as it has been for the past two or three decades.
The response is to have well publicized hearings where people are degraded and then promises are made that it will improve. This has happened in every major case since at least the Tailhook case. They always promise to improve. They always promise that they will get on it and make it better. They make the promises and put into place a bunch of nonsense and feel good measures.
But things never really change. This time there are stand down days and mandatory training directed at all workers, civilian and military, the huge majority of whom are not and have never been involved in a sexual assault.
The solution to the problem is to hold those who engage in such behavior accountable. Therein lies the rub. You see, in today’s society we lack responsibility and we lack accountability. This comes from the president on down as evidenced by his constant blaming of everyone else (particularly George Bush). The other side of the coin is that no one holds him (the Limbaugh Theorem) or any other officials accountable.
People need to act responsibly and when they don’t they need to be held accountable. Society has abandoned this idea. When a shooter murders a bunch of people we do not hold that person accountable. We blame guns and then punish the millions of gun owners who had nothing to do with the crime.
In these sexual assault cases in the military we blame the environment and then preach to those who have not done anything wrong.
Hold those who are found guilty of sexual assault accountable by punishing them. In addition, if someone makes a false claim and that is found out the person making the false claim should receive the punishment the accused would have gotten had he actually committed the crime.
There are other ideas that are directed at solving the problem but they are moronic at best. Deebow at Blackfive explores one such solution and puts it much better than I could hope to.
Sexual assault in the military is a betrayal of trust. The person assaulted has placed trust in another member of the military and that trust is betrayed by a person to whom an allegiance has been formed. It is a violation of the very core and foundation of teamwork and it is despicable.
Members of the military are a very select subset of the population. They are people who have vowed to put their lives on the line to preserve our country and our way of life. The training in the military brings these very unique people together and teaches them to put others and their nation above themselves. We place our lives in each other’s hands and we expect that our backs will always be protected.
When someone in the military is sexually assaulted by another service member that sacred bond, that trust, has been violated and is more painful and more damaging than an attack by our enemies. We would not stand for an enemy attack on our service members and we work hard to prevent such things. Why would any member of our armed forces attack another member this way?
Right now there is a case going on at the Naval Academy where three members of the football team are accused of sexually assaulting a female midshipman who got drunk at a party. It appears as if she was punished (for getting drunk) while they were allowed to remain on the team. The spotlight on the incident seems to have sparked the current investigation.
If these men raped this woman then they should go to jail for a very long time. It does not matter how drunk she was because that is not and never will be justification for what they allegedly did. If she violated some rule by drinking or getting drunk then the Academy can deal with that separately. But when she was drunk her comrades let her down. That was when she was most vulnerable and that is when they should have protected her. They should have ensured she got home safely.
If what they are accused of is true then they turned their backs on a fellow midshipman and let her down. They did not have her back and they violated the trust she had in them as comrades in arms.
It is criminal that they very people she trusted caused her harm. In the military we are a family and we are supposed to protect each other.
These men are accused of doing something to her that they would never allow to happen to their sisters.
Anyone who does this is a cretin and is unfit to wear the uniform of this nation.
We are better than that my brothers and sisters in arms and if you don’t feel that way then it is time for you to pack your stuff and GTFO.
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: crimes, Military, naval academy, sexual assault, solutions
Part of the issue is how we define sexual assault, it ranges from an unwanted advance all the way to rape. This is WAY too broad and muddies the waters when discussing solutions.
Another part of the issue is the fact that society has extended adolesence into the 20s, where once at 18 you were a man and expected to behave as one. These kids going in now days still think and act like juveniles along with all the pitfalls and poor judgement that entails.
Three counterpoints to Deebow’s statements:
1) I know this will ruffle some feathers but its true, had she been following the rules and not drinking underage she would most likely not have been assaulted. It’s similar to getting behind the wheel of a car drunk and expecting/trusting that everyone else will get out of your way. You are responsible for ensuring your own well being first and foremost. This in no way excuses or absolves rape, just an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
2) There is a double standard practiced when it comes to alcohol and men and women. Women are absolved of all responsibility for their actions or decisions when under the influence (except drunk driving). Men however are fully responsible for any and all actions or decisions made while intoxicated. Why is this? Might these young men have behaved quite differently if not under the influence? Was their ability to judge her ability to consent imparied? Again, doesn’t excuse rape but goes back to the ounce of prevention theme. Male or female, if you do decide to drink know your limits and don’t get so trashed you do something stupid, criminal, or harmful to yourself or others.
3) Once more, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. had she even been of age to drink she should have taken steps (and college campuses give women these tips) to ensure her own safety. Make sure she went with female friends, know her limit and keep to it, make sure the friends agree to check on one another periodically and check in before leaving or going “somewhere private” with a man. I’m not excusing rape, saying its her fault, or anthing of the sort. I AM saying she didn’t take the proper steps to ensure her own safety. To me it’s not much different than practicing firearms safety, it doesn’t matter if your buddy tells you its unloaded, you always verify yourself and continue to treat it as loaded. That way you prevent bad things from happening.
I do not disagree with your points. however, my issue deals more specifically with the military folks and the reality is they should operate at a higher standard. Members of the military MUST look out for each other. Anything less is failure.
Amen I agree 100%
Then there is the other side of the problem. Excusal and toothless enforcement by the military for the rule of the law. Excusal of the convicted, by command authority because it may ruin their record, prevent promotion, or some other reason, thats entirely BS. Some of those folks should not be in command or leadership positions, if they are so active, they should have been at home, but their ego was beyond that. And with many of those folks it’s because they were in the position that they demanded service. For them, there is no prision to big to hold them.
I think the part about holding ALL people accountable covers those who are in positions of authority. But it would never get that far if people would act like professionals.